Identity: From Holocaust to Home

by Elke Babicki

Not many people peer over the abyss, but Elke Babicki's family did. Her German grandfather objected to Hitler and as a result ended up in a concentration camp while her mother’s family became destitute. Elke's father, Alex, who was born into a well educated and wealthy Jewish family in Poland, spent five years in concentration camps before making his escape just before the end of the war. Alex who had lost his family, wealth, country and opportunity for education, met his wife, a Bavarian Catholic and stayed in Germany. A war that should have driven Babicki's parents apart actually brought them together to create an uncommon, Catholic-Jewish life. Elke, their daughter was born into a world of love, conflicting religious identities, PTSD, resilience and determination - this is her story.

"A beautifully written and most unusual contribution to the literature of the Holocaust. Elke Babicki weaves an amazing story of survival and heroism in Nazi Germany, addressing the tyranny of PTSD, the fragility of identity and the life-altering vagaries of fortune. Identity demonstrates the tragic reach of the Holocaust, and the courage of all survivors and their children." - R. D. Rosen

Elke Babicki, M.Ed., R.C.C. has been a consultant to corporations and a clinical counsellor in private practice in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada for over thirty years. She has led workshops and sessions in Europe and Canada to help thousands of people claim more power in their lives. Elke was recognized in 2011 with the Women of Worth Leader of the Year Award for her work in supporting and inspiring women across the globe. She lives with her husband, Matt, an engineer and inventor, by the ocean in West Vancouver, British Columbia. Identity - From Holocaust to Home was published in Germany as Uebern Ozean in2017 with great success. www.elkebabicki.com

284 pages, Paperback

Published January 13, 2021

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am impressed that this is Elke Babicki's first memoir, as the writing is incredibly polished and immersive!

It seems a touch simplistic to call this an addition to Holocaust historical writing, because the arc of the book encompasses much more than that. Part One recounts the upbringings of Elke's mother and father. Of course, her father's journey of survival through several concentration camps is a highlight: action-packed, yet harrowing to read. Alex witnessed, and was subject to, unspeakable cruelty. Part Two recounts Elke's childhood and adolescence in Germany, discovering her autonomy in the shadow of her father's trauma. Part Three details her move to Canada: she drew on the strength of her parents to beat the odds in her second language, prosper as a working woman in the field of psychology, and eventually become a mother.

Each part is told with enough tantalizing detail to make you feel as if you are there, in that era: from the food (or lack thereof during the war), to the clothes, to the styles of buildings on the streets. While the description is rich, the narrative still manages to move at an engaging clip that makes you want to devour the next chapter, and the next.

Elke's authorial voice is vulnerable yet balanced. She honestly reveals moments where she felt imposter syndrome, embarrassment, or otherwise less than her best; at the same time, she is not shy to share her successes. This results in just the right amount of humility, that is authentic and allows the reader to better empathize with her journey.

I have both read the paperback and listened to the audiobook. I recommend flipping through the paperback so you can see the photos of Elke and her family, which add another degree of depth and reality to the work. For the audiobook, the narrator Bonni Moore's voice is clear and warm. I wish they had opted for the German pronunciation rather than literal phonetics, as a German accent would feel more natural to Elke's point of view. Still, the phonetics are easy to understand.

However you digest this story, highly recommended. Elke's message of truth, resilience, and the importance of family is crucial to help us appreciate the blessings and triumphs in our own lives. As Elke learned in her Gestalt psychology training, we must face the demons of our pasts in order to move into a brighter future.

[Suzanne St. John Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a remarkably moving memoir, both heartbreaking and deeply transformative. Elke’s gift as a writer brings the reader into the very moment of the experience of her life, but also of her father’s, as he struggles to overcome the horror he experienced during five years in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany - while still finding strength to build a life for his family upon his return. I will recommend this book often.